sacrilege
sacrilege — noun
1. an action or type of behaviour that treats something regarded as holy or deeply
an action or type of behaviour that treats something regarded as holy or deeply valued in a way that shows a complete lack of respect, often shocking or offending those who care about it
Many believers consider it a sacrilege to paint holy images on ordinary objects like shoes.
consider + object + a sacrilege + to-infinitive
Noa believed that changing her grandmother's funeral traditions would be a sacrilege.
Feng was accused of sacrilege for using an old temple as his storage room.
To the villagers, cutting down the temple's old tree felt like sacrilege.
Some fans see rewriting a classic novel's ending as literary sacrilege.
- blasphemy
narrower — specifically refers to disrespect toward God or religious beliefs in speech, not actions; stronger religious connotation
- desecration
more concrete — describes the physical act of damaging or defiling a sacred place or object; implies deliberate damage
- profanation
more formal and less common; treats something sacred as ordinary or common, often through misuse rather than damage
- reverence
the opposite feeling or attitude — deep respect for something sacred
- veneration
a stronger form of reverence, typically directed toward religious figures or objects
文法句型
consider + object + a sacrilege + to-infinitive
be + a sacrilege + to-infinitive
regard + object + as + a sacrilege
count + object + as + sacrilege
用法筆記
Originally used only for disrespect toward religious objects or places, 'sacrilege' is also common in figurative contexts for anything a group considers off-limits or inviolable. Frequently used with the indefinite article ('a sacrilege'), especially in metaphorical settings. The adjective form 'sacrilegious' describes the act or person, while 'sacrilege' names the act itself.